10 January 2013

A Little Tip for Husbands and Wives

I often get asked by people what we do to keep our marriage happy and our attraction and love for each other strong.

So today...here is one little tip:

Exercise Together!

You guys have all seen the studies about how happiness is directly related to exercise. The research is everywhere!

So I say, if you want to feel vibrant, happy, (sexy!) and excited about life - why not be WITH your spouse (or significant other) as those exercise endorphins are at their best? :) Good conversations, self esteem, smiles, healing, excitement, connection, and positive thoughts are bound to happen. Every time Danny and I walk, hike, or ride bikes together, this definitely works for us. I can't recommend it enough. Even one time a week is so great. Also, the good energy you feel during your walk can help to break any ruts that you might be in - and begin to change the patterns of how you feel when you're together. I'd love to hear if any of you have success with this. Also...

To get some inspiration going, is there an exercise activity you like doing with your spouse (or significant other)? haha. Sorry, I didn't know how else to word that. :) I'd love to try racquetball sometime with Danny. My sweet in-laws love to play golf together, which I think is so awesome.

Great idea, and timely for me. We used to rock climb together, which was awesome! We have three kids under five now, so it's much harder to do these days.

Just this week we started waking up at 5:30 a.m. and doing a work-out video together, and it's great to be spending that extra time together. We needed to adjust our bedtime and our evening schedule to accomplish it, and that has been a plus too. Here's to New Year's resolutions! Hope we can stick with it!

This is so true! My husband was always begging me to come outside and play catch or frisbee or anything with him. I know he'll be so happy when our three boys are big enough to play with him outside! When He gets back from overseas, we plan on working out together early in the morning before the kids wake up- that way he can help me stay motivated- I just don't have the energy right now, but I know that if I would just do it, I'd have energy! It's a vicious cycle :)

We used to do cycling and then stopped in a open space for kite flying.We enjoy very much taking a small basket with us walking into the forest to pick up mushrooms when sunshine appear again after rainy days.

My husband and I play basketball together. We've competed in a tournament and like to go to the courts on weekends and just play whoever is there. We're not the best but our two years of playing together are starting to pay off:)

We are looking to get bikes this summer to start biking together. We take walks together right now. Sometimes we hit the gym together. We both work on different machines but just knowing he's across the gym makes it more fun for me to be there. We love sweating together ;)

Cory and I take our longboards out maybe once a week or so. Dixon(our boxer) jogs along side of us. It is some of the funnest exercise we do! We also take evening walks down to our neighborhood park and swing on the swings...silly?! I think FUN!!

i love it when i'm dating someone who wants to run with me! except i've discovered that most guys who are into running generally run faster than i do, haha. i'm more of the "go slow and long" kind of runner. but then it's just an exercise (pun intended) in compromise :)

My husband and I play racquetball together and I'll tell you what it definitely IS fun. So you and Danny should most certainly try it out. We love it a lot. Other than that... We play volleyball together and walk and sometimes jog (but my pace is waaaaay slower than his so it really isn't "working out" for him haha).

I've been a reader for about a year now. I love the blog. I have a lot in common with you. LDS, infertility, and now I'm finding myself in a divorce. You're blog has been just what I need to get me through this all. Thank you! As far as exercise goes, yes! I love going on walks and biking. It was always fun to do as a family.

so true! my husband and i exercise regularly on our own at the gym, but started exercising together last year. we've always been really active as a family, especially outdoors, but with 6 kids at home it's been so much fun to get to work out one-on-one together. we're having so much fun with it!

I just got back from a walk through the woods that should have included snowshoes but didn't. It was so much fun and quite a workout. We ended it by meeting the kids by their bus stop and walking the short way home.

My husband and I do cross fit together, and have even run a half marathon together! With two little boys and a babe on the way we haven't been working out together quite as often, but I still love every time we do for it in!

We cycle together! We each have our own mountain bike/road bike, but we also have a tandem road bike! We have done LOTOJA together 5 times (206 mile bike race from Logan Utah to Jackson Hole Wy). We bought the tandem during med school even though we really couldn't afford it (they are pricey), but we always say it was the best thing we could have done for our marriage during such a busy time! I so agree with this advice! Some of our best friends have been made during our bike rides! You connect with people so much easier when you are exercising!

Love your blog!! My husband and I cross country ski together.....we live near Lake Tahoe and the blue sky and mountains are so beautiful! Even if it's cold, we love being outside for a few hours. We talk about everything. In warmer seasons we bike ride, hike, run....whatever. We ran a 50 mile race together! I also got him to try yoga and we go to classes or just do it at home. I think it's so important to take interest in what your partner wants to do for fun and try it. Otherwise, you just go off in your separate zones. We have been married for 17 years and exercising together has kept us close, not to mention fit and feeling young!

My husband and I just signed up to do a Tough Mudder. Talk about motivation to work out together! Excercising together is just fun (and it increases my husband's sex drive about a bajillion percent). Great tip!